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TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.



So, what's all this then?

Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition - henceforth referred to as "Root Double" - is a visual novel by Regista. The original version was released on XBox 360 and PC in 2012, then the game got an updated rerelease on PS3 and the PS Vita called the "Xtend Edition" with extra content. However, all of this was Japan-only. Then, a campaign on Kickstarter was launched to bring the game to the English-speaking world, it reached its goal of 135.000$, and Root Double found its way to Steam in April of 2016.

Anybody associated with this project I should know about?

Well, it's a game by Regista, which means that Takumi Nakazawa, director of the Infinity series (Never7, Ever17, Remember11) was on board here as director/producer as well. So there's some VN pedigree behind this game. And of course, the Infinity series connection means that Nakazawa has a connection to Kotaro Uchikoshi, who is most known as being the writer/director for the Zero Escape games. And as Danganronpa fans know, having a connection with Uchikoshi means that his ideas somehow end up in your games as well because he's apparently got some sort of parasites attached to him. So if you liked the Zero Escape stories, this one should be up your alley as well.

You seem rather taciturn regarding what actually happens in this game.

That's because I'm a bit hesitant in revealing information about the plot. I've already beaten the game, so I know basically everything - meaning that I'm liable to end up saying the wrong thing too early (I'm not very smart, you see) and since discovering things is a big, big part of the plot, I'm just going to try to let the game speak for itself as much as possible. If you want to know the gist of what the game will revolve around, just read the first updates. The game will set the stage well enough for you.

Then, what's the LP going to be like?

Standard fare screenshot LP. There's a couple videos, but otherwise, there should be nothing out of the ordinary here. After all, this game is actually in English for once, so I don't even have to translate anything. There will be voting, but that will be explained once the game brings up the particular mechanic that voting will revolve around.

Everything that comes from the game will be in regular font, and my comments during gameplay and descriptions of happenings on screen that can't be put into screenshots will be in italics. Also, in dialogue, regular text is the characters speaking, (and text in brackets is the characters thinking).

EDIT FROM THE FAR FUTURE: There came a point when I just started forgetting putting the results of votes into the posts sometime during Route Before. Just putting that out there.

How about a spoiler policy?

NO SPOILERS, EVER. Not even under tags. The story is the one thing that keeps the game going (obviously), so experiencing it as fresh as possible is the #1 objective here. If you have already played it (and if so, you're apparently a part of a relatively small club), just sit back and enjoy the potential for horribly wrong conclusions for people to come to and people gleefully stumbling into bad ends you've already seen.

What's "Beyond Communication"?

You'll see.

I don't think there's anything else to be said, so let's get into the action!

ROUTE A - AFTER

Chapter 0 - Prologue

001 - Prologue
002 - Format: 09/16/2030, 09:16

Chapter 1 - 9:00 Chapter

003 - Senses Sympathy Tutorial
004 - First Impression: 09/16/2030, 09:18
005 - Misunderstanding
006 - First Impression: 09/16/2030, 09:18 - Part 2
007 - Closed Circle: 09/16/2030, 09:23
008 - Base: 09/16/2030, 09:30
009 - Teacher: 09/16/2030, 09:33
010 - Researcher: 09/16/2030, 09:36
011 - 6+3: 09/16/2030, 09:40
012 - Radiation: 09/16/2030, 09:44
013 - Leakage: 09/16/2030, 09:50
014 - Backdraft: 09/16/2030, 09:54
015 - Disregard
016 - Backdraft: 09/16/2030, 09:54 - Part 2
017 - Senior & Junior
018 - Escape: 09/16/2030, 10:04
019 - Knocking on Heaven's Door: 09/16/2030, 10:08

Chapter 2 - 10:00 Chapter

020 - Murder Case: 09/16/2030, 10:12
021 - Shortage: 09/16/2030, 10:16
022 - Shortage: 09/16/2030, 10:16 - Part 2
023 - Electric Dragon 80000V: 09/16/2030, 10:22
024 - Brain Cell: 09/16/2030, 10:26
025 - Seven: 09/16/2030, 10:36
026 - Hazard: 09/16/2030, 10:41
027 - Flash Dance: 09/16/2030, 10:46
028 - Error of Judgment
029 - Flash Dance: 09/16/2030, 10:46 - Part 2
030 - Disaster Prevention Manual: 09/16/2030, 10:51
031 - Clear and Present Danger: 09/16/2030, 11:01
032 - Fireman's Carry: 09/16/2030, 11:08

Chapter 3 - 11:00 Chapter

033 - Falling Down: 09/16/2030, 11:12
034 - Run & Search: 09/16/2030, 11:12
035 - Knockdown
036 - Run & Search: 09/16/2030, 11:12 - Part 2
037 - Coolant: 09/16/2030, 11:17
038 - Fighters' Rest: 09/16/2030, 11:20
039 - Body: 09/16/2030, 11:25
040 - Nine Years Ago
041 - Body: 09/16/2030, 11:25 - Part 2
042 - Order: 09/16/2030, 11:33
043 - Infirmary: 09/16/2030, 11:38
044 - Emergency Evacuation: 09/16/2030, 11:42
045 - Elevator Action: 09/16/2030, 11:45
046 - Laboratory: 09/16/2030, 11:48
047 - Buddy
048 - Laboratory: 09/16/2030, 11:48 - Part 2
049 - Over Eighty Percent: 09/16/2030, 11:54
050 - Factory: 09/16/2030, 11:56
051 - Obnubilation
052 - Laboratory: 09/16/2030, 11:48 - Part 3
053 - Over Eighty Percent: 09/16/2030, 11:54 - Part 2
054 - Factory: 09/16/2030, 11:56 - Part 2
055 - Buddy & Buddy: 09/16/2030, 11:57
056 - Cargo Lift: 09/16/2030, 12:00
057 - Dramatic Rescue: 09/16/2030, 12:02
058 - Dramatic Rescue: 09/16/2030, 12:02 - Part 2
059 - Breakthrough: 09/16/2030, 12:06
060 - The end of: 09/16/2030, 12:11

Chapter 4 - 12:00 Chapter

061 - The end of hope: 09/16/2030, 12:15
062 - Dark Clouds: 09/16/2030, 12:18
063 - Flashback: 09/16/2030, 12:21
064 - Missing: 09/16/2030, 12:27
065 - Recollect: 09/16/2030, 12:37
066 - 9-3: 09/16/2030, 12:42
067 - Repair: 09/16/2030, 12:46
068 - Best Friend
069 - Repair: 09/16/2030, 12:46 - Part 2
070 - Seek: 09/16/2030, 12:52
071 - An Injury: 09/16/2030, 12:56

Chapter 5 - 13:00 Chapter

072 - Medical Care: 09/16/2030, 13:00
073 - Old Wound
074 - Beyond Communication: 09/16/2030, 13:09
075 - In the Mirror: 09/16/2030, 13:13
076 - The Fugitive: 09/16/2030, 13:16
077 - The Pursuers: 09/16/2030, 13:21
078 - Bomb & Gun: 09/16/2030, 13:26
079 - Smoking Barrel: 09/16/2030, 13:31
080 - Accidental Shooting
081 - Smoking Barrel: 09/16/2030, 13:31 - Part 2
082 - Lesson: 09/16/2030, 13:44
083 - Test Subject: 09/16/2030, 13:49
084 - Dreamlike - 09/16/2030, 13:57
085 - Suspicion - 09/16/2030, 14:09
086 - An Inconvenient Truth: 09/16/2030, 14:16
087 - Cross-Examination: 09/16/2030, 14:20

Chapter 6 - 14:00 Chapter

088 - Cause: 09/16/2030, 14:25
089 - Hesitation
090 - Decision: 09/16/2030, 14:46
091 - Area N: 09/16/2030, 14:48
092 - Too late
093 - Area N: 09/16/2030, 14:48 - Part 2
094 - Battle: 09/16/2030, 14:53
095 - Unclear Conclusion: 09/16/2030, 14:55
096 - Murder
097 - Ringleader: 09/16/2030, 17:49
098 - Nightmare's end: 09/16/2030, 18:15
099 - Endless Nightmare: 09/19/2030, 09:19

Chapter 7 - 13:00 Chapter & 14:00 Chapter - Take 2

100 - Unfucking Ourselves - From Smoking Barrel to Cause
101 - Desperate: 09/16/2030, 14:28
102 - Area N: 09/16/2030, 14:34
103 - Battle: 09/16/2030, 14:39
104 - Unclear Conclusion: 09/16/2030, 14:41
105 - First aid: 09/16/2030, 14:44
106 - Murderous Design: 09/16/2030, 14:47
107 - Insanity: 09/16/2030, 14:49
108 - Persuasion
109 - Insanity: 09/16/2030, 14:49 - Part 2
110 - The Great Escape: 09/16/2030, 14:52
111 - Last Choice: 09/16/2030, 15:00
112 - Endless Despair: 09/16/2030, 15:06
113 - Metamorphosis
114 - The beginning and the end - 09/16/2030, 15:15
115 - Epilogue: 09/16/2030, 15:16

Chapter 8 - Route After: Completion

116 - Overeagerness
117 - Instill
118 - Intrusive
119 - Escape: 09/16/2030, 10:04
120 - Comfort
121 - Flash Over
122 - Misguided
123 - Photograph
124 - Cumulative exposure
125 - Skewer
126 - Idle Thoughts
127 - Time's Up
128 - Hug
129 - Destroy Brain
130 - Sister
131 - Disappearance: 09/16/2030, 12:46
132 - Warning: 09/16/2030, 12:51
133 - Explosion: 09/16/2030, 12:56
134 - Injury: 09/16/2030, 13:00
135 - Medical Care: 09/16/2030, 13:03
136 - Former Girlfriend
137 - Medical Care: 09/16/2030, 13:03 - Part 2
138 - Cross-Examination: 09/16/2030, 14:20
139 - Binding
140 - Promise
141 - Treachery
142 - Accident
143 - Protection suit: 09/16/2030, 12:46
144 - Message: 09/16/2030, 12:50
145 - Fall: 09/16/2030, 12:55
146 - Nursing: 09/16/2030, 13:02
147 - Father
148 - Nursing: 09/16/2030, 13:02 - Part 2
149 - Believe
150 - Kiss

ROUTE B - BEFORE

Chapter 0 - Prologue

151 - PROLOGUE: 09/16/2030, 06:19

Chapter 1 - Sept. 10 Chapter

152 - START OF THE FIRST DAY: 09/10/2030, 06:19
153 - INVOKE: 09/10/2030, 06:49
154 - BEYOND COMMUNICATION: 09/10/2030, 08:40
155 - NOISY FUTURE: 09/10/2030, 12:00
156 - AFTER SCHOOL: 09/10/2030, 12:45
157 - ROKUMEI SCIENCE CITY: 09/10/2030, 16:15
158 - SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: 09/10/2030, 17:15
159 - HIS AND HER PAST: 09/10/2030, 18:30
160 - REALITY IS A DREAM, YOUR DREAM AT NIGHT IS REALITY: 09/10/2030, 21:00
161 - NATSUHIKO - SEPTEMBER 16: 09/16/2030, 06:29

Chapter 2 - Sept. 11 Chapter

162 - BACK INTO PEACE: 09/11/2030, 06:29
163 - TRANSFER STUDENT: 09/11/2030, 08:10
164 - ENFANT TERRIBLE: 09/11/2030, 08:30
165 - LABO: 6TH LABORATORY OF ATOMIC AND BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: 09/11/2030, 12:45
166 - PARAPSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER: 09/11/2030, 14:00
167 - DUSK LIT BUS: 09/11/2030, 17:00
168 - THE WAY WE WERE
169 - DUSK LIT BUS: 09/11/2030, 17:00 - PART 2
170 - THE STRANGER: 09/11/2030, 18:30
171 - FOR YOU: 09/11/2030, 20:00
172 - THE PAST AND PRESENT YOU: 09/11/2030, 20:17
173 - ENCOUNTER
174 - THE PAST AND PRESENT YOU: 09/11/2030, 20:17 - PART 2
175 - IF YOU CAN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN: 09/16/2030, 06:29
176 - YOUR NAME IS
177 - SALYU - SEPTEMBER 16: 09/16/2030, 06:39

Chapter 3 - Sept. 12 Chapter

178 - DREAMS AND REALITY: 09/12/2030, 06:39
179 - THE GREAT ILLUSION: 09/12/2030, 08:10
180 - PHANTOM: 09/12/2030, 10:05
181 - THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS, RALLY IN THE STREETS: 09/12/2030, 16:00
182 - ARMS: 09/12/2030, 17:20
183 - HIS NAME WAS SIRIUS
184 - ARMS: 09/12/2030, 17:20 - PART 2
185 - PASSIONATE MEAL: 09/12/2030, 18:10
186 - OUR FAVORITE THINGS: 09/12/2030, 20:00
187 - AT THE END OF AN UNEVENTFUL DAY: 09/12/2030, 22:00
188 - WHAT IS ESSENTIAL
189 - AT THE END OF AN UNEVENTFUL DAY: 09/12/2030, 22:00 - PART 2
190 - ALL OF THEM - SEPTEMBER 16: 09/16/2030, 06:49

Chapter 4 - Sept. 13 Chapter

191 - REFRESHING MORNING: 09/13/2030, 06:49
192 - MAXWELL'S DEMON: 09/13/2030, 08:25
193 - MINDSEEKER: 09/13/2030, 08:41
194 - MINDSEEKER: 09/13/2030, 08:41 - PART 2
195 - PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT: 09/13/2030, 10:00
196 - THE WOMAN FROM SIRIUS: 09/13/2030, 11:46
197 - ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE
198 - THE WOMAN FROM SIRIUS: 09/13/2030, 11:46 - PART 2
199 - THE MAN FROM LABO: 09/13/2030, 12:47
200 - MANEUVERING: 09/13/2030, 16:08
201 - PROPHECY: 09/13/2030, 16:37
202 - MEMORIES AND REALITY: 09/13/2030, 19:04
203 - IN THE CORNER OF A TWILIT CITY
204 - MEMORIES AND REALITY: 09/13/2030, 19:04 - PART 2
205 - MASHIRO - SEPTEMBER 16: 09/16/2030, 06:59

Chapter 5 - Sept. 14 Chapter

206 - CHANGING MORNINGS: 09/14/2030, 06:59
207 - SINCE YOU WENT AWAY: 09/14/2030, 08:15
208 - INCIDENT: 09/14/2030, 12:31
209 - HER FEELINGS: 09/14/2030, 12:59
210 - FAR BEYOND: 09/14/2030, 13:14
211 - GATE: 09/14/2030, 13:42
212 - FALSE ALARM: 09/14/2030, 14:06
213 - ''Q'': 09/14/2030, 14:39
214 - CITY SCARS: 09/14/2030, 15:12
215 - TRUE VALUE: 09/14/2030, 15:36
216 - RETURN TO THE PARAPSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER: 09/14/2030, 17:00
217 - GUARD: 09/14/2030, 17:15
218 - SALYU AND NATSUHIKO - COOKING 101: 09/14/2030, 18:33
219 - MYSELF;YOURSELF: 09/14/2030, 20:01
220 - INTO THE DARKNESS: 09/14/2030, 20:14
221 - UNDER THE MOON: 09/14/2030, 20:45
222 - UNDER THE STARRY SKY
223 - UNDER THE MOON: 09/14/2030, 20:45 - PART 2
224 - CHORUS: 09/14/2030, 21:17
225 - TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF: 09/14/2030, 23:01
226 - YUURI - SEPTEMBER 16: 09/16/2030, 07:09

Chapter 6 - Sept. 15 Chapter

227 - NATSUHIKO TENKAWA'S DETERMINATION: 09/15/2030, 07:09
228 - POLICEMEN'S JOB: 09/15/2030, 07:47
229 - MIYOKO TENKAWA'S EMOTIONS: 09/15/2030, 08:51
230 - SECURITY DEPARTMENT'S PURSUIT: 09/15/2030, 09:00
231 - JOURNEY OF JUSTICE
232 - SECURITY DEPARTMENT'S PURSUIT: 09/15/2030, 09:00 - PART 2
233 - ENA TSUBAKIYAMA'S HEART: 09/15/2030, 09:34
234 - JUN MORIBE'S DUTY: 09/15/2030, 10:15
235 - MASHIRO TOBA'S ABILITIES: 09/15/2030, 10:47
236 - LOUISE YUI SANNOMIYA'S DEDUCTION: 09/15/2030, 19:58
237 - KEIJI UKITA'S REACTION: 09/15/2030, 20:14
238 - WATCHMAN'S REFUSAL: 09/15/2030, 20:30
239 - Q'S --: 09/15/2030, 20:45
240 - SEPTEMBER 16, AT THAT PLACE: 09/16/2030, 07:19
241 - <i>Extra - The Grand Route Before Recap: 02/11/2017, 23:20</i>

Chapter 7 - Sept. 16 Chapter

242 - THE LAST DAY: 09/16/2030, 03:19
243 - SET FORTH: 09/16/2030, 04:00
244 - DAYBREAK: 09/16/2030, 05:00
245 - THE TIME HAS COME: 09/16/2030, 06:00
246 - TO REALITY: 09/16/2030, 06:19
247 - PAST: 09/16/2030, 06:29
248 - TRUTH: 09/16/2030, 07:28
249 - LIE: 09/16/2030, 07:32
250 - Memories: Magnetic Rose: 07/07/2021, 13:22
251 - When Cicada Season Is Over: 07/16/2021, 15:32
252 - Sonata in B♭: 07/23/2021, 16:25
253 - Odyssey in the Sky With Denpa: 09/10/2030, 06:19
254 - Eternity: 09/11/2030, 16:47
255 - MIND: 09/16/2030, 07:34

Chapter 8 - Epilogue

256 - SHATTERED: 09/16/2030, 07:38
257 - RESOLVE: 09/16/2030, 07:41
258 - PARTING KISS
259 - RESOLVE: 09/16/2030, 07:41 - PART 2
260 - MONSTER: 09/16/2030, 07:46
261 - PRAYER: 09/16/2030, 07:51
262 - EPILOGUE: 09/16/2030, 08:16

Chapter 9 - Route Before: Completion

263 - WHEN SHE SMILES
264 - WHY CAN'T YOU TRUST OTHERS: 09/16/2030, 06:49
265 - STORY OF THE STARRY SKY
266 - I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS: 09/16/2030, 06:59
267 - TAKE HER HAND
268 - HIDDEN FEELINGS
269 - WORLD'S END
270 - ADVENTURE
271 - EVERY SECOND TURNS INTO A MEMORY
272 - ETERNAL MEMORY
273 - PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP: 09/16/2030, 07:05

ROUTE C - CURRENT

Chapter 0 - Prologue

274 - Prologue / EPILOGUE: 09/16/2030, 07:46
275 - Format / ORDER: 09/16/2030, 09:16

Chapter 1 - 9-10:00 Chapter

276 - Dosage / SUDDEN CHANGE: 09/16/2030, 09:21
277 - Encounter / REUNION: 09/16/2030, 10:38
278 - Action / DEADLOCK: 09/16/2030, 11:16
279 - Search / BAFFLEMENT: 09/16/2030, 11:41

Chapter 2 - 12-13:00 Chapter

280 - Flashback / AWAKENING: 09/16/2030, 12:26
281 - Terror / ERASURE: 09/16/2030, 12:34
282 - Recollect / FORGERY: 09/16/2030, 12:37
283 - Apprehensions / MISGIVINGS: 09/16/2030, 12:42
284 - Strike / CLASH
285 - Doubt / IRRITIATION: 09/16/2030, 13:09
286 - Sign / ANXIETY: 09/16/2030, 13:13
287 - Crisis / PANIC: 09/16/2030, 13:16
288 - Support / SUSPICIONS: 09/16/2030, 13:32
289 - Danger / FALSIFICATION: 09/16/2030, 13:48
290 - Request / APPEAL: 09/16/2030, 13:56

Chapter 3 - 14-15:00 Chapter

291 - Determination / OMEN: 09/16/2030, 14:16
292 - Heart / QUESTION: 09/16/2030, 14:22
293 - Rescusitate / REVIVAL: 09/16/2030, 14:29
294 - Violence / RESTRAINT: 09/16/2030, 14:33
295 - Cure / UNDERSTANDING: 09/16/2030, 14:41
296 - Struggle / OBSERVING: 09/16/2030, 14:43
297 - Astonishment / SHOCK: 09/16/2030, 15:10
298 - Despair / DECISION: 09/16/2030, 15:13

Chapter 4 - Epilogue

299 - Epilogue / PROLOGUE: 09/16/2030, 15:16

Chapter 5 - Route Current: Completion

300 - Explosive / EXPLOSION
301 - Message / PRIVATE MESSAGE

TheMcD fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Jul 16, 2017

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TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

ROUTE D - DOUBLE

Chapter 0 - Prologue

302 - √

Chapter 1 - 15:00 Chapter

303 - NATSUHIKO'S PERSPECTIVE: 09/16/2030, 15:16
304 - Watase's Perspective: 09/16/2030, 15:20
305 - TELEPATHY: 09/16/2030, 15:24
306 - Friends: 09/16/2030, 15:28
307 - AFTER PARTING: 09/16/2030, 15:31
308 - Yuuri Kotono: 09/16/2030, 15:33
309 - Heart of Darkness: 07/07/2021: 16:19
310 - The Night She Died: 07/08/2021, 22:16
311 - Ma-in: The Demon: 07/12/2021, 09:05
312 - Ushinawareru Monogatari: Lost Story: 10/06/2021, 09:12
313 - Natsu no Replica: Replaceable Summer: 10/06/2021, 21:06
314 - Sorekara: And Then: 07/07/2030, 21:17
315 - For Whom the Bell Tolls: 09/16/2030, 06:10
316 - Towa mo Nakaba wo Sugite: Half Past Eternity: 09/16/2030, 06:29
317 - Towards Zero: 09/16/2030, 09:00
318 - TRANSCENDING REALITY: 09/16/2030, 15:36
319 - Nobody: 09/16/2030, 15:38

Chapter 2 - 15-16:00 Chapter

320 - Phantom of the nightmare: 09/16/2030, 15:46
321 - MANY ANSWERS: 09/16/2030, 15:52
322 - CONFESSION: 09/16/2030, 15:59
323 - Prepared: 09/16/2030, 16:03
324 - Watase Kasasagi: 09/16/2030, 16:04
325 - Reverie: 06/01/2014, 11:31
326 - Goin' Home: 09/07/2014, 16:43
327 - Das Lied der Trennung: The Song of Parting: 09/08/2014, 17:02
328 - Eroica: Hero: 04/07/2021, 13:55
329 - Dies Irae: Days of Wrath: 06/07/2029, 18:26
330 - Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht: False world, I trust thee not: 07/07/2029, 17:35
331a - Kinderszenen: 09/13/2030, 15:38 (April Fools' Day Update)
331b - Kinderszenen: Scenes from Childhood: 09/13/2030, 15:38
332 - Baba Yaga: The Witch: 09/16/2030, 06:19
333 - Die Zauberflöte: The Magic Flute: 09/16/2030, 07:14
334 - ONCE AGAIN: 09/16/2030, 16:09
335 - ONCE AGAIN: 09/16/2030, 16:09 - PART 2
336 - RAM Tutorial
337 - Sarabande Divergents: A: 06/07/2029, 19:16
338 - Sarabande Divergents: B: 06/07/2029, 19:28
339 - Sarabande Divergents: C: 07/07/2029, 17:35
340 - Sarabande Divergents: D: 07/07/2029, 20:21
341 - De Temporum Fine Comoedia: Play At the End of Time
342 - Awake, a Voice Calls to Us: 09/16/2030, 07:50
343 - Partner: 09/16/2030, 16:10
344 - Partner: 09/16/2030, 16:10 - Part 2

Chapter 3 - 16:00 Chapter

345 - Lady in the dark: 09/16/2030, 16:19
346 - NINE YEARS WORTH OF CONVERSATION: 09/16/2030, 16:23
347 - NINE YEARS WORTH OF CONVERSATION: 09/16/2030, 16:23 - PART 2
348 - Defragment: 04/15/2026, 08:23
349 - Conflict: 04/20/2028, 13:27
350 - Interlace: 07/21/2028, 16:22
351 - Garbage Collection: 07/07/2029, 23:18
352 - Enter: 09/16/2030, 05:30
353 - Debug: A: 09/16/2030, 10:11
354 - Debug: B: 09/16/2030, 11:17
355 - Debug: C: 09/16/2030, 11:47
356 - Commit
357 - Terabyte Disk: 09/16/2030, 12:15
358 - ENEMY, ENEMY, AND ENEMY: 09/16/2030, 16:31
359 - LOOMING: 09/16/2030, 16:36
360 - Overlapping crises: 09/16/2030, 16:37
361 - KILL ONE, SAVE A THOUSAND: 09/16/2030, 16:41
362 - Believe: 09/16/2030, 16:43
363 - BETWEEN MALICE AND DECEIT: 09/16/2030, 16:46

Chapter 4 - 16-17:00 Chapter

364 - Jun Moribe: 09/16/2030, 16:49
365 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction: 03/30/2021, 11:38
366 - Holding Out for a Hero: 04/07/2021: 13:12
367 - Life: 04/08/2021, 14:45
368 - Fight Fire With Fire: 09/16/2030, 06:26
369 - The Dark Side of the Moon: A: 09/16/2030, 09:30
370 - The Dark Side of the Moon: B: 09/16/2030, 09:54
371 - The Dark Side of the Moon: C: 09/16/2030, 11:20
372 - The Dark Side of the Moon: D: 09/16/2030, 11:31
373 - Crossroads
374 - Sympathy for the Devil: 09/16/2030, 12:15
375 - Ena Tsubakiyama: 09/16/2030, 16:52
376 - Song for my Father: 04/04/2014, 13:28
377 - Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead: 04/05/2028, 07:50
378 - School Days: 04/08/2030, 07:31
379 - In the Dark: 06/16/2030, 16:21
380 - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye: 09/15/2030, 09:30
381 - Body and Soul: 09/16/2030, 05:56
382 - MOVING TIME: 09/16/2030, 16:55
383 - Out of order: 09/16/2030, 17:03
384 - Louise Yui Sannomiya: 09/16/2030, 17:05
385 - Rapunzel: 09/01/2027, 10:00
386 - The Girl Who Was Plugged In: 09/01/2027, 10:00
387 - Methuselah's Children: 09/22/2027, 17:14
388 - Childhood's End: 10/01/2027, 14:06
389 - The Door into Summer: 09/09/2030, 21:34
390 - Watchers: 09/10/2030, 16:30
391 - The End of the Road: 09/11/2030, 08:10
392 - The Only Neat Thing to Do: 09/16/2030, 06:19
393 - MIYOKO TENKAWA: 09/16/2030, 17:12

Chapter 5 - 17:00 Chapter

394 - Lunatique: 09/16/2030, 17:19
395 - INFORMATION: 09/16/2030, 17:23
396 - Heart and pain: 09/16/2030, 17:25
397 - PURPOSE OF POWER: 09/16/2030, 17:27
398 - LOCKUP: 09/16/2030, 17:32
399 - Time trick: 09/16/2030, 17:36
400 - MESSAGE: 09/16/2030, 17:40
401 - Raven's determination: 09/16/2030, 17:43
402 - Kazami Tachibana: 09/16/2030, 17:43
403 - Concerto du vent: Concerto for wind: 03/30/2021, 10:51
404 - Requiem: 04/07/2021, 15:11
405 - Walkuerenritt: Ride of the Valkyries: 04/01/2027, 16:45
406 - L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra: Dawn Divides the Light from the Shadows: 09/16/2030, 06:19
407 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: A: 09/16/2030, 09:20
408 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: B: 09/16/2030, 10:11
409 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: C: 09/16/2030, 11:31
410 - V mlhach: In the Mists
411 - Sleepers Wake: 09/16/2030, 12:15
412 - WHEN YOU STARE INTO THE ABYSS: 09/16/2030, 17:45
413 - Darkness: 09/16/2030, 17:45

Chapter 6 - Route Double: Completion

414 - Prologue & Epilogue: 09/16/2030, 16:09
415 - DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE AT THE END OF THE WORLD: 09/16/2030, 16:09
416 - Program: 07/07/2028: 16:31
417 - Debug: A: 09/16/2030, 10:11 - N-ified
418 - Debug: B: 09/16/2030, 11:17 - N-ified
419 - Debug: C: 09/16/2030, 11:47 - N-ified
420 - Ether: 09/16/2030, 12:15
421 - Fatal Error: 09/16/2030, 12:15
422 - Born to Run: 03/30/2021, 11:43
423 - The Dark Side of the Moon: A: 09/16/2030, 09:30 - N-ified
424 - The Dark Side of the Moon: B: 09/16/2030, 09:54 - N-ified
425 - The Dark Side of the Moon: C: 09/16/2030, 10:13 - N-ified
426 - The Dark Side of the Moon: D: 09/16/2030, 11:31 - N-ified
427 - Bohemian Rhapsody: 09/16/2030, 12:15
428 - Killer Queen: 09/16/2030, 12:15
429 - Work Song: 04/05/2028, 07:50
430 - Prison Legend: 09/16/2030, 06:50
431 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: A: 09/16/2030, 09:20 - N-ified
432 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: B: 09/16/2030, 10:11 - N-ified
433 - Tod und Verklaerung: Death and Transfiguration: C: 09/16/2030, 11:31 - N-ified

Chapter 7 - 17-18:00 Chapter

434 - DECISION: 09/16/2030, 17:49
435 - -3: 09/16/2030, 17:53
436 - IN A SHATTERED WORLD: 09/16/2030, 18:00
437 - ERASE: 09/16/2030, 17:53
438 - Pure Motives: 09/16/2030, 18:00
439 - Queen of the Night's Aria: 09/16/2030, 17:54
440 - L'adieu: Farewell: 09/16/2030, 17:54
441 - CHOICE: 09/16/2030, 17:55
442 - REQUIEM FOR MEN: 09/16/2030, 17:55
443 - PRIDE OF SIRIUS: 09/16/2030, 17:55
444 - NEVERENDING STORY
445 - BIRD THAT FACES THE WIND: 09/16/2030, 17:55
446 - LIFE
447 - HOPE: 09/16/2030, 18:04
448 - ESCAPE / Last Escape: 09/16/2030, 18:11
449 - PROMISE: 09/16/2030, 18:41
450 - PARTING: 09/16/2030, 18:46

Chapter 8 - Epilogue

451 - DEPARTURE
452 - BEFORE CRIME
453 - THEM
454 - After Days
455 - ONE BY ONE
456 - AFTER DAYS
457 - SIN
458 - Before Crime
459 - Root Double / To Each Their Memories: 09/16/2030, 18:49
460 - ASTERISK: 09/19/2030, 12:43
461 - Unforgettable: 09/28/2030, 13:30
462 - A midsummer night's dream: 08/07/2031, 08:00
463 - I'll be there for you: 09/16/2031, 11:50
464 - BOYS AND GIRLS: 04/01/2031, 18:30
465 - SUMMER IN A DAY: 07/20/2031, 20:05
466 - THE LITTLE PRINCE: 09/15/2031, 19:16
467 - Grand Epilogue: 09/16/2031, 09:16
468 - GRAND EPILOGUE: 09/16/2031, 09:16

XTEND EPISODE

Chapter 0 - Prologue

469 - RAM / Random Access Memory: 09/16/2030, 19:16

Chapter 1 - The Reformer, Keiji Ukita

470 - Unlocking Scenes - Ukita
471 - Virus: 08/15/2028, 20:39
472 - Network: 07/01/2028, 21:43

Chapter 2 - The Helper, Mashiro Toba

473 - Unlocking Scenes - Mashiro
474 - Camouflage City: 09/13/2030, 18:55
475 - In A Corner of This World: 09/16/2030, 17:42
476 - Translucent: 06/01/2020, 13:15
477 - Grateful Dead: 08/10/2030, 15:20
478 - The One I Love: 09/11/2030, 20:07

Chapter 3 - The Achiever, Ena Tsubakiyama

479 - Unlocking Scenes - Ena
480 - Memories of You: 09/16/2030, 13:20
481 - Oh, Lady be Good!: 04/15/2030, 17:15
482 - Return to Forever: 09/16/2030, 10:41

Chapter 4 - The Individualist, Louise Yui Sannomiya

483 - Unlocking Scenes - Salyu
484 - Orphans of the Sky: 09/16/2030, 15:11
485 - Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death: 09/16/2030, 17:04
486 - The Lights in the Sky Are Stars: 07/20/2026, 21:36
487 - The Terminal Experiment: 09/14/2030, 15:48
488 - To Live Again: 09/14/2030, 23:24

Chapter 5 - The Investigator, Watase Kasasagi

489 - Promenade: 04/01/2027, 16:45
490 - La gazza ladra: Thieving Magpie: 07/07/2027, 19:05
491 - Je te veux: I Want You: 08/25/2027, 15:42
492 - Pavane pour une infante defunte: Pavane for a Dead Princess: 10/06/2027, 14:00
493 - Jupiter: 10/06/2027, 23:59
494 - Serenade: 09/16/2029, 01:16

Chapter 6 - The Loyalist, Kazami Tachibana

495 - Unlocking Scenes - Kazami
496 - Segreto: Secret: 06/01/2027, 14:50
497 - Nuages gris: Dark Clouds: 09/07/2030, 09:05
498 - Flower: 03/05/2021, 16:22
499 - Voi che sapete: Tell Me What Love Is: 09/12/2027, 14:55

Chapter 7 - The Challenger, Jun Moribe

500 - Unlocking Scenes - Jun
501 - Honky Tonk Woman: 08/01/2030, 07:48
502 - Dirty Work: 09/13/2030, 11:54
503 - Roll Over Beethoven: 09/05/2027, 12:23
504 - Light My Fire: 09/15/2030, 12:18

Chapter 8 - The Peacemaker, Yuuri Kotono

505 - Unlocking Scenes - Yuuri
506 - I Won't Forget: 05/29/2020, 17:09
507 - Level 7: 09/15/2030, 20:15
508 - Atatakai Yume: A Sweet Dream: 08/01/2020, 12:30
509 - Kokoro: Mind: 07/07/2029, 22:47

510 - Extra - Abstract Nonsense: 06/18/2017, 10:27

Chapter 9 - The Enthusiast, Natsuhiko Tenkawa

511 - Yuuri's Smile: 08/15/2020, 13:35
512 - Quiet and Peaceful Time: 10/05/2020, 15:26
513 - Dear Friend: 05/11/2030, 16:10
514 - Thoughtless Actions: 09/13/2030, 18:50
515 - Communicator: --/--/----, --:--

Chapter 10 - Epilogue

516 - Extra - Odds & Ends: 07/09/2017, 17:45

EXTRAS

Extra Bits and Pieces

01 - Character Biographies

Psychology Time With Junpei

01 - Enneagram of Personality Types: The Basics
02 - Type 5: The Investigator
03 - Type 7: The Enthusiast
04 - Types 4, 2 and 9: The Individualist, the Helper and the Peacemaker
05 - Types 6 and 8: The Loyalist and the Challenger
06 - Types 1 and 3: The Reformer and the Achiever

Jukebox

No.01: Peacemaker / Theme of Yuuri
No.02: Helper / Theme of Mashiro
No.03: Individualist / Theme of Louise
No.04: Challenger / Theme of Jun
No.05: Loyalist / Theme of Tachibana
No.06: Achiever / Theme of Ena
No.07: Quiet Days of Rokumei City
No.08: Languid Hours of Rokumei City
No.09: Anxious Times of Rokumei City
No.10: LABO Security Lv. 1
No.11: LABO Security Lv. 2
No.12: LABO Security Lv. 3
No.13: Looming Crisis
No.14: Approaching Death
No.15: Psychological Warfare
No.16: Evil and Nightmares
No.17: Abyss
No.18: Family and Friends
No.19: Foolishness
No.20: Words of Healing
No.21: Extra-Sensory Perception
No.22: Close to the Truth
No.23: Pose the Question to this World
No.24: The Truth is Revealed
No.25: The Brave Decision
No.26: Convergence
No.27: Memento Mori
No.28: End of the Route
No.29: Double Bible (Instrumental Arrange)
No.30: Rondo Carrousel (Instrumental Arrange)
No.31: Rondo Carrousel (Music Box)
No.32: Rondo Carrousel
No.33: Double Bible (Game Size)
No.34: ROUTE EXIT (Game Size)

CG Gallery

Page 01: Route After, Part I
Page 02: Route After, Part II
Page 03: Route After, Part III
Page 04: Route After, Part IV
Page 05: Route Before, Part I
Page 06: Route Before, Part II
Page 07: Route Before, Part III
Page 08: Route Current
Page 09: Route Double, Part I
Page 10: Route Double, Part II
Page 11: Route Double, Part III
Page 12: Route Double, Part IV
Page 13: Route Double, Part V
Page 14: Promotional Art
Page 15: Intro Video CGs and Psychic Girl Beyond*BEYOND Art
Page 16: Intros, Previews, and Other Videos
Page 17: Credits Videos

TheMcD fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Jul 16, 2017

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Prologue



We start our game like any good game should, with the standard "we didn't base our characters off of you, even if you think so" disclaimer, with an added bonus "don't try this at home" disclaimer.



♪ BGM: Extra-Sensory Perception

The title screen is a relatively standard affair - the "Extra" menu just has the standard stuff you'd expect from a VN, that being the sound test, CG viewer and similar stuff. So let's jump right in.



Now, to start off, we get to pick the route we wish to play. We have Route "After" (get it? Root? Route?), which follows a "Watase Kasasagi" during events that take place from the 16th September 2030 at 9:16 AM on, and which seems to be about nine people trapped in some sort of facility. Hey, I told you this game gives off some Zero Escape vibes.



We also have Route "Before", which follows a "Natsuhiko Tenkawa" during events that take place from the 10th September 2030 at 6:19 AM on. Apparently this Natsuhiko is part of the group of people that get trapped in this facility, and this route will have to do with flashbacks to the days before that event or something like that.

Well, I've played both routes, obviously, and I'm going to make the call that we're starting with Route After. I simply think that going from After to Before flows better than doing it the other way around, and the game probably intends for you to go that way, what with A coming before B and all. So on to Route After we go!




And we start our game with a bible quote! I guess you should maybe remember that quote and see where it becomes relevant. Though to be honest, we might be here quite some time (I needed about 30 hours to get through this game, and I read fairly quickly), so maybe just remember that you'll go back and check down the line at some point.



After that, we're immediately dropped into the action with a flash of white and the sound of explosions!

-- The roar echoed through the laboratory at daybreak -- As if it were a bell heralding the end.



♪ BGM: Psychological Warfare

Researcher 2: I don't know! It came from Area 1--
Researcher 1: Find out what happened! Now!
Researcher 2: Wait, we can't! The gate can't be opened during the amplification--!

Another flash of white and more explosions.

Researcher 1: -------!?



--The roars didn't stop there.

Another flash of white and explosions.



The loud noises and violent shaking continued to echo through the facility.

Again. There's a lot blowing up here, is what the game is getting at.



Followed immediately by shockwaves and the sound of screaming--



More screen shaking and explosion sounds.

Automatic PA: Security has shifted to 'Evacuation Mode'. All gates, barring those leading to Area N, have been opened.

--There wasn't a soul in that place who yet understood... what had happened here. A clear voice echoed amongst all the confusion and cacophony.

Announcer: Th-this is an emergency broadcast! Explosions of unknown origin have just occurred within the facility!

That voice that announced the destruction-- was but a fragment of the truth.











Another flash of white and more explosions.



♪ BGM: Approaching Death

The automatic PA screamed out warnings as if it had broken. It was an accident that should have been impossible.

Security Guard 1: The sprinkler system's not working!?
Security Guard 2: Why...? Damnit! Hurry up with the personnel evacuation!



Researcher 1: The emergency staircases have collapsed!?
Researcher 2: All the elevators are offline too! There's no way out!
Researcher 3: Impossible... How did this happen?
Researcher 2: A-anyway, we need to get out of here... Hurry!

But then a calm voice rose as if to quell the pandemonium.



Researcher 1: Professor!?
Have you forgotten that we have a system that immediately notifies the fire department in emergencies like this? Help should be here in just a few minutes.
Researcher 2: Only a few minutes!? How's that possible!?
These guys aren't your run-of-the-mill firefighters. They're the special elite rescue squad 'Sirius'--



We hear the sounds of a helicopter.



We then get a shot of the facility we're in right now. Or, well, those scientists are in right now. We have no idea where exactly "we" are right now.

--6:26 AM. The rescue squad arrived at the scene--

F. Rescue Worker 1: Captain! All member of Team A present and accounted for!

The "F" stands for "female", in case you were wondering. I'll be keeping track of how this rescue squad is set up, as this might be fairly relevant to what's going on here.



♪ BGM: Looming Crisis

A row of rescue workers wearing protection suits stood before a man garbed in the same outfit.

So the rescue squad seems to number five.

Captain: Excellent. Listen up, people! Countless people are trapped in this lab as we speak! And due to the nature of this facility, this will be no ordinary dispatch.



Oh? Hang on there, Captain, we have something to check out, first.



We take a quick trip into the menu (brought up at any time simply by pressing "M"), and there we find the menu "Tips".



I've seen this system used a bit before - basically, "tips" allow the game to give you a bit more information about certain terms that the reader may or may not know without having to crowbar it into the narrative.



So in this case, if we didn't know what a dispatch was, the game would explain it to us. I'll be inserting these tips whenever they pop up, as there's quite a lot of them, and as you might be able to notice by the "nonfiction" classification, some tips will be on in-universe things that you would have no way of knowing beforehand, which are quite important to know. Anyway, back to the action!



A young woman who appeared to be fairly new to the team gulped behind her faceplate. The captain looked at her and continued.

Captain: Our mission is to save lives-- that's how it's always been, and today is no exception. But you are all humans before you are rescue workers. As long as you survive, that means one more life saved. Keep that in mind as you commence the rescue operation. With that said, good luck to you all!
Team: YEAH!

--With that shout, they rushed into the facility. All while having no idea of what awaited them there. And thus, the dispatch that would later come to be known as "Sirius' Longest Day had begun.



Captain: Make sure to keep in constant contact with Team B! Don't forget this!

So the rescue squad is splitting up in two. One team consists of "Tachibana" and "Moribe", and the other consists of "Dojima" and "Hiyama". The Captain is unaccounted for so far.

--They all had the same conviction. To accomplish the mission they'd been handed by whatever means necessary. However-- what they found lurking there far exceeded their imagination. Countless unexpected complications kept arising one after another.



F. Rescue Worker 2: Khh... l-let's go, Lieutenant!

So the two female rescue workers are on the same team, and they're apparently "Tachibana" and "Moribe".



Rescue Worker 2: Hurry! There's no time!
Captain: Roger that, just wait right there!

Then, the other two rescue workers, who then have to be "Dojima" and "Hiyama", call the Captain, who is "Kasasagi" (the one we're supposed to be playing as, probably?), down to the basement, so he apparently stayed up at the lobby level before, probably to keep track of both teams. Kasasagi heads down into the basement of the facility.



F. Rescue Worker 2: Huh!?
F. Rescue Worker 1: That's odd... did something happen to the Captain...!?

Team Tachibana/Moribe loses contact with Captain Kasasagi at this point. Whether this is due to him heading down to the basement or some sort of other interference is unknown.



Rescue Worker 2: Those two are trapped just up ahead, right?
Captain: Right... so let's go. Back then, we couldn't save anyone... the time to atone for that has finally come.

We hear the sound of a door opening and a fade to white.

--But even that determination can be crushed--



Rescue Worker 1: Were we tricked!?
Rescue Worker 2: Why... by whom!?



Captain: Don't grieve. Now's not the time for regrets. Our mission... isn't over yet.
Automatic PA: A 'Case N' has just been detected. In accordance with this emergency, security has shifted to Normal Mode. Locking down all bulkheads leading to the surface.

This episode brought to you by the letter "N". Seems to be an important letter here. I suppose that has to do with this being a nuclear research facility.



Rescue Worker 1: Are you serious!? All by yourself!?
Captain: There's no other choice! I'll leave the rest to you guys! If I'm not back in 20 minutes, go on without me!

--He swallowed his regret and ran. All in order to stick to his convictions--



We hear knocking on a door, and a door opening.

Captain: Finally found you... You're a person of interest to this lab, right?



Captain: I'm a rescue worker. I'm here to save you guys.

--Thus, he found a lone girl, and then--



Captain: They should still be here...

The Captain runs towards the door.

Captain: I'm sure they're just up ahead...!

--He endured the pain and kept on walking--



A white flash.

Captain: Ghh!?

Fade to white.

--he came face to face with a "monster"--



♪ BGM: The Truth is Revealed

The monster took hold of his wrist.

???: ...Ha.

The monster looked at him and laughed. The man spotted a broken wristwatch out of the corner of his eye. At that moment, just as an indescribable fear sent shivers down his spine--

Captain: !!

A red flash.

He was assaulted by an intense pain akin to his brain being crushed.

Captain: Agh, GAAAAAAH!!

The man screamed, faced with an agony unlike anything he had ever felt before. He struggled to understand the source of the pain amidst the confusion engulfing him.

Captain: Th-that was...!? My head, it can't be... not you too!

His well-toned body proved helpless in the face of that power.

Captain: (You... you damned monster!)

In spite of that, he struggled against it, attempting to complete his mission. Nevertheless--

Another red flash.

Captain: !!!

His will broke as the overwhelming pain surged through his head once more.

Captain: Aah... aah...

He staggered backwards, clutching his head. The monster's face warped sinisterly, its gaze piercing right through him.

Captain: AAAAAAAAAAAAH!



If he'd stood his ground, he'd be killed. Annihilated. And so he held his throbbing head as he ran for his life.









A very nice effect of the background basically shattering into pieces here, leaving only red.

Everything in front of him flashed as he felt an agony like that of his head exploding.

Captain: Ga... agh...!



And then, as if someone had flipped a switch, his consciousness faded into darkness.

------
----
--



--Eventually, far past that frozen time-- "Awake", a voice called to him. Or perhaps it was merely a memory of such a voice. He heard that voice as he lay beneath the whitewashed tomb... and then time began to move.

We hear the sound of a clock ticking as the screen fades to black.

...and that's it for the first chapter, "Prologue"! Confused? Well, that feeling isn't going away soon, I'm afraid. For the sake of convenience, I'll be hard cutting my updates the same way the game does its chapters.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Format: 09/16/2030, 09:16

--
----



A world where everything was closed off. Sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste... he'd been disconnected from all his senses. It didn't feel like there was a world around for him to experience at all.

???: (Where am I...?)

He didn't know. His head was a total blank.

???: (What is this...?)

All he could sense was a feeling of loss.

???: (What's... going on...?)

It felt like he was lacking anything definitive.

???: (How did this happen?)

He desperately tried to figure out why. Soon enough, fragmented images twinkled in the corners of his mind.



This image flashes for a second, then disappears again.

???: (...! I see... so that thing attacked me--)



A flash of blood splatters.

Is this death?



Another flash of blood splatters, this time of less.

No...!



This time, a short lens flare flash.

The sound of a beating heart-- echoed inside him. He knew for sure he could perceive that. This guy is-- No, not "this guy"...!

???: (I'm...!)



Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch-- pain-- I have all of those senses...! My body and consciousness are right here...

???: (I'm right here...!!)

.......
-------

Fade to black.



Woman 1: ...Captain, please hang in there! Captain!
Woman 2: Get up, Captain! C'mon!

With the sound of those voices suddenly filling his ears-- the man opened his eyes.



♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 2

Ah...! You've finally come to, haven't you!?
W-what a relief! I thought you bit it there for a sec!
...?

I might as well stop beating around the bush a bit here. This scene establishes now that our main character right now is the Captain of the rescue squad - and therefore, we are Watase Kasasagi. We seem to have been found by the two female members of the rescue squad, those being Tachibana and Moribe. You'd have also been able to tell from the voices, if you had audio. However, given that the audio is Japanese only, I'm not going to bother giving you voice clips of a language you probably don't understand for the sake of recognizing a few voices from earlier. I'll just mention when that is the case instead.

The man said nothing as the women before him started addressing him.

But what the heck are you doing here, Captain!? Shouldn't you be at the command post!?

Seems Team Tachibana/Moribe didn't know of Kasasagi going into the basement, which can probably be blamed on the faulty connection between them.

More importantly, can you say your own name, or what day and month it is today?
...what... huh?

The man already felt confused in the face of the sudden storm of questions he'd been sucked into. He first tried to grasp the situation around him. The women in front of him were wearing orange uniforms.

(So they're firefighters... no, rescue workers?)

Their uniforms were covered in soot. Disaster, accident, rescue-- vague images related to those words swirled around the man's head.

Who a-- no, where am I...?
Ah, you shouldn't sit up yet!



He was in some building he'd never seen before. He'd apparently ben lying in the middle of a hall. He could see cold steel doors and fire hydrants lining the corridor. A glance up at the ceiling revealed air ducts, sprinklers, and so--



A sharp headache hit the man at that moment, causing him to fall to the floor yet again.

Are you okay!? Are you in pain!?
N-no... I'm fine...



Just then, the man realized he was wearing the same uniform as the women.

(...? Why am I wearing this thing...?)

He felt a strange sense of discomfort. Like he had no connection with himself. Why was he in this uniform?

What... am I...?

The man stood up as he shook his groggy head. His body also felt off. Almost like his body and mind weren't properly linked.

(It kinda feels like this isn't my body or something...)

The screen starts shaking and the sound of more explosions goes off.

No sooner had this thought crossed the man's mind-- than did the air suddenly shake.

♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 3

Wh-what was that!?

The women paid no heed to the man's confusion and instead exchanged glances.





Right! Captain, please rest here! We'll handle this one by ourselves!

The woman who'd been called "Lieutenant" broke off into a run alongside the other woman (who was apparently her subordinate).

...Huh? H-hold on!

Scared of being left alone and totally in the dark about what was going on, the man followed the two.



W-wait up, you guys!
Captain!? I thought I asked you to rest!
Nah, I think he looks okay! Give us a hand, all right!?
N-no, that's not it! I just want to ask you something! What was that noise!? What's happening!?
Huh!?
Wh-what're you talking about, Captain!? You saying you don't get what's going on!?
N-no, I don't...

The women looked at each other for a brief second.

--You'll understand if you come along! Please keep close to us!

The lieutenant broke off into another run at those words, with the man hot on her trail. She then opened a door at the end of the hall--



(What is this heat...!?)

A heat haze filled the area, distorting their vision of what was before them.

Khh... we need to put out this fire on the double!
Yeah, before there's another explosion!

The women passed through the open doorway. The man followed suit and ran through the hallway--





The man froze in shock at the scene he was confronted with. But the women quickly got to work without even a moment's hesistation.

Get a hose ready!
Roger!



The screen shakes a bit and we get the sound of somebody bumping into somebody else.

Whoa!?

The female rescue worker pushed the man aside and pulled out a hose from the fire hydrant built into the nearby wall. She then passed it to the lieutenant, who directed its nozzle toward the flames.



Commence water release!
Roger! Here it comes!



A jetstream of water collided with the flames, which erupted into large clouds of steam.

(Incredible... the fire's getting smaller and smaller by the second...!)

The man stared at the swiftly dying fire with stark amazement. Just then, he heard something else mixed in with the sound of the flames evaporating-- a faint sound.



(Was that a voice...?)

He wondered if it was his mind playing tricks on him for a second. But as soon as he strained his ears--

Girl: He... help me...!





The man's body started running as soon as this thought hit him, weaving its way through the gaps between the flames. The room's door was crushed inwards due to the effects of the explosion. The man peeked into the room from the shadow of the broken door--



(Where is it!? Where's that voice coming from...?)

His hair was singed by the sparks bathing him, creating an awful stench that hung in the air. What's more, his eyes were tearing up thanks to the smoke irritating them. But he endured it and focused on searching the room--



♪ BGM: Psychological Warfare

--Found her!



Through the fire and flames, he could see a girl crouching under a desk in the room.

Are you okay!?

The girl looked towards the man's voice with hope in her eyes. But the moment her gaze met the man's,



--!?

her face froze.

(Wha... what's with that look!?)

Overcome with confusion, he came to a halt. But at that moment--



{Save her!}

So whenever we get something like this, you'll be able to tell because of {it being in these curly brackets}. As for what "something like this" actually is...

He suddenly heard a voice.

!?

He didn't know whose voice it was. It sounded like it'd echoed from inside him. But the moment he heard it, everything suddenly fell into place. He finally realized why he was here.

(That's right-- I came here to save her!)

The moment he came to that realization, his previously divided body and nerves seemed to finally become one. The flames were closing in on the girl. The voice resounded yet again in his head.

{--Go save her!!}

And with that command giving him the final push he needed-- the man lunged into the blazing flames.



We fade to white...



...and here we are - at the beginning of the first chapter of Route After. But that will have to wait until next time - and it's probably not like you're lacking in questions to be asking about the situation. How many will be answered relatively soon? Only time will tell.

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

I have a feeling exactly zero questions will be answered soon.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Huh, never even heard of this. I liked the Infinity series for its insane last-minute plot twists, so I'll popcorn along for the ride on this one.

TheMcD posted:

(It kinda feels like this isn't my body or something...)

My first suspicion is that this is somehow literally true.

Son Ryo
Jun 13, 2007
Excuse me, do you know where Saiyans hang out?
Oh man, I loved the hell out of this game. Ever17 was probably my favourite VN, but this one came in as a close second. I highly recommend anyone who's interested in it by this LP to go buy it on Steam and check it out for yourself. I'll be watching this thread to see what people think of the story.

Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??

This image without context is way funnier than it should be :v:

"Jeez, someone should do something about all this fire."

Artix
Apr 26, 2010

He's finally back,
to kick some tail!
And this time,
he's goin' to jail!
I love this game, but I kinda burned out about halfway through the B route. Maybe the LP will inspire me to go finish it.

IceBorg
Oct 23, 2012

I KINDA DOUBT THAT!
For some reason I never heard about this VN and I love this kind of things. Knowing me I will probably not be able to wait and go get it on Steam but we shall see.

Knowing the background of this series I don't trust anything of what we are seeing right now!

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


That's quite the loving title

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!

SSNeoman posted:

That's quite the loving title

That's the understatement of the year.

This looks very interesting, if it's anything like Danganronpa or Zero Escape it'll be interesting (and educational! Zero Escape always makes me feel smarter after I understand all the psychology, quantum mechanics, philosophy and technology in them.).

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica
Oh, I read Uchikoshi post about this on Twitter but I never actually checked it out myself.

With him and some other authors in mind, the term "souls" instead of "people" or something sounded immediately suspicious, particularly after it was repeated. Seeing how that suspicion was pretty much immediately confirmed makes me wonder if it's even a real twist. :v:

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Senses Sympathy Tutorial



Well, that's awfully fatalist of you, game.

Regardless, we need your power to link this world to the future. So the Senses Sympathy System (SSS) has been prepared in order to allow you to willingly influence the world. This tutorial will explain the SSS to you-- but before that, let's explain what we mean by "Senses" here.

Pay attention to this entire tutorial. I had to reread this thing a few times when I was playing this because I made some choices down the line and was baffled how my choices led to the result that happened.

Senses refers to "impressions, emotions, sensations" in this context. Put it simply, it's your assessment of "how you feel" about someone else. In other words, if their Senses are high, you have a "good impression" of that person-- but on the other hand, if their Senses are low, that means you have a "bad impression" of that person. And the Senses Sympathy System exists to quantify your Sense and reflect them on this world. Now then, let's explain how to change the value of your Senses.



An enneagram is a kind of personality assessor that categorizes people into nine different personality types. Each of the nine main characters of the story have been categorized into these nine types.



Oh, hey there Natsuhiko!

A graph similar to a radar chart is displayed on top of the Enneagram. This graph is a symbol that represents Senses.



Apparently we hate you now, Natsuhiko!

You can input the Senses of nine characters, which includes the protagonist. Thus, in a sense, you may also set the Senses you have for "yourself". In such an instance, you determine whether or not you have confidence in your instincts and opinions... alternatively, you determine how much you value yourself.

This is the hardest part to work out. While setting Senses for other people is a very simple thought process, you sometimes need to really think about just what having a high Sense of "yourself" means in a certain situation.

Senses Sympathy System. Truly a system where you determine the protagonists's various sensations/Senses each time. Your Senses will be used to determine which scenario divergence you will travel down at fixed "divergence points". At divergence points, the story automatically diverges in accordance to the level of your Senses. You can't simply input your Senses whenever you want. You can only do that at sections known as "branches". When you arrive at a branch, the Enneagram will appear in the upper-right corner. Please check if the Enneagram is displaying or not to determine when you can and can't input your Senses.

Allow us to explain in detail through example. Let's play a demo scenario branch while you actually control the system. First, please take a look at the next scene. The Senses input hasn't appeared yet, so please just play through the text as you normally would.



A TV and a game console were sitting in a neat and tidy living room. Just then, a girl came down from the hallway and spoke in an inquisitive voice.

Girl: Hey, what're you doing? ...huh? You're playing a game tutorial? Is it really important? I see. You must be real busy, huh...? Um, actually, I wanted to talk to you about something... but this is a bad time, isn't it?

The girl looked at you hopefully as she said that.

Girl: Oh... I'm sorry. It looks like I'm just bothering you, so I'll ask you later. --No, don't worry about it. It wasn't all that important. Okay then, good luck with that game tutorial...

The girl slumped her shoulders with disappointment-- --and she left the living room with a lonely step in her gait.



Now then, let's play that scene one more time, with the goal this time being to make the girl "happy". There'll be a branch this time, so you can input your Senses there. When you arrive at a bracnh, the Enneagram will appear in the upper-right hand corner. Please increase your Senses for the girl before the Enneagram disappears. When the Senses lights up, please click it to bring up the Senses input screen. You can also bring up the input screen by pressing the [V] button.



Use the cursor to choose whose Senses you'd like to change, bring it to the knob directly below them, then change their Senses. Click the "Decide" button to set your values and to finish the input process. You can only do a Senses input one time per branch. You can't input again if you change your mind after you've decided, so please be careful.





Alright, so this time around, we can change our Senses.



Today, Yuuri will be playing the role of "Girl". Oh, right, you don't even know Yuuri yet. Well, you've seen her, but you didn't know her name was Yuuri. Well, now you do!



So in accordance with the tutorial, we crank the Senses for Yuuri all the way up.



As discussed, we only get to make this decision once without reloading. Skipping forward a bit...



So you--



Note the +1 that appeared at the Enneagram. This is what the game refers to as "raising favor". Raising favor means that the character has a higher opinion of you, as you might imagine. Of course, you can also lose favor. Favor comes into play at certain decision points in the game, and it might gently caress you squarely in the earhole if you end up blowing it with a certain character.

Girl: Yaay, thank you! Well, you see, you see, today's a holiday known as "Tanabata"! And as you know, if you write your wish on a strip of paper called a "tanzaku" today, it'll be granted! So I was thinking that we need to make preparations for it right now!

The girl then started talking happily about the bamboo trees that are set up on Tanabata--



In this example, the girl had two different reactions, but there may be more than that depending on the situation. Also, there isn't always just one Senses target.

Quite the opposite. You pretty much always have different Senses targets to pick from.

If there is ever more than one target you need to take into consideration, you'll have to re-evaluate your Senses for them individually. In these situations, you can input for more than one character. But the only ones whose Senses you can input are those who are involved with the next branch. You cannot alter the Senses for an unrelated character. There will occasionally be times where Senses hold a greater importance than usual. As such, there are three different Senses colors, each one corresponding to the importance of the upcoming branch.



A "blue branch, as it's known, is generally not all that important. You don't even need to change your Senses every time it comes up. All you have to do is change it whenever your impression of the target alters. But if you neglect too many blue branches, it could have dire consequences for you farther down the line.



A "yellow branch", as it's known, is generally very important. Expect them to signify big changes, such as changing your destination or travel partner. They're not dangerous, but it's best you change your Senses to reflect your intentions at these points. And though it's rare, a yellow branch can signify that a branch of "grave danger" is approaching, so please be careful.



A "red branch", as it's known, is of the utmost importance. Decide incorrectly and you will find death lying in wait for you. Keep your eyes peeled to avoid danger and please check your Senses immediately to ensure there are no problems. Also, branches directly related to the story's "conclusion" will be red. We recommend you exercise cautious judgment there in the same way.

Or to put it more simply, here's how I describe the three branches, based on what they do if you make a wrong decision. On a blue branch, it probably won't gently caress you over. On a yellow branch, it probably will gently caress you over. On a red branch, it definitely will gently caress you over.

This concludes the Senses Sympathy System explanation. Your Senses will change the situation in various ways. Now then, let us return to the world. When time starts again, a Senses input will appear right away.



This indicates that a branch of great danger is coming up. Should you choose wrongly, death may soon claim the man. Please look over the situation calmly and select your Senses right away. We are expecting your feelings to have a good effect on the world.



♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 3

We're in the next chapter now, but it'll just be a few lines.

The man screamed this and was about to rush into the flames- but was interrupted by someone grabbing him by the collar.



But if we don't do something quick, that girl will--
I'll take care of it!

Once he heard her say this, the man--



Well, what did the man do?

VOTING

Now, this system is kind of a bunch of gently caress. It's fiddly, it's hard to tell what exactly your choices will cause, and I love it for it. So, I'll put the decisions in your hand, and hopefully we won't die a whole bunch. Note, I died a whole bunch in my playthrough. How are you going to vote? That's a bit of a different issue. I don't want to make it based on numbers, since that seems too complicated. Instead, I'll just set four levels: Bottom, Low, High, Top. The middle spot is kind of a misnomer - it doesn't really indicate a "neutral" response, it tends towards the negative. So I'll just ignore that in favor of actually negative ones to vote on.

Furthermore, what you should consider here is the difference between the two Senses settings. The Senses that we set here are basically going to help Watase answer the question "Who is better suited for this, Jun or me?". This is actually a good way to think of Senses questions - just imagine what question our protagonist is asking himself, and set Senses accordingly.

So, basically, vote for Bottom, Low, High or Top for both Jun Moribe and Watase Kasasagi. I will pick the combination that gets the most votes.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Watase Kasasagi - Top
Jun Moribe - Bottom


Only the self can be trusted.

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Put everyone on top all the time. Even if they turn into villains. Especially if they turn into villains.

IceBorg
Oct 23, 2012

I KINDA DOUBT THAT!
Both on botton!!

Logicblade
Aug 13, 2014

Festival with your real* little sister!
Kasasagi - Low
Moribe - High

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica
Kasasagi low
Moribe top


Just leave it to the professional and not the amnesiac who had a seemingly literally splitting headache a while ago. I know curly braces disagrees and the girls might not have a great opinion of us but it just doesn't seem wise.

It doesn't help that Yuuri seemed outright scared seeing our face.

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!

CirclMastr posted:

Put everyone on top all the time. Even if they turn into villains. Especially if they turn into villains.

I agree with the action but not the reasons. I say that if we always trust everyone to the max, we will never ever ever get a bad ending!

AlphaKretin
Dec 25, 2014

A vase to face encounter.

...Vase to meet you?

...

GARVASE DAY!

Logicblade posted:

Kasasagi - Low
Moribe - High


Sure, this. That sure is a system. :psyduck:

John Lee
Mar 2, 2013

A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

This game has some sweet-rear end music. Not all-over, but there's a couple really standout tracks.

whitehelm
Apr 20, 2008
Watase-Top, Jun-Bottom

No need to listen to anyone's advice.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Junpei posted:

I agree with the action but not the reasons. I say that if we always trust everyone to the max, we will never ever ever get a bad ending!

There's a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, and that's because the system is often (like in this case) used to decide between two options. Setting both to max is essentially giving the game ":shrug:" as an answer, and while I cannot confirm this, I believe that it takes that to mean "let's pick the option that brings the player closer to death".

John Lee posted:

This game has some sweet-rear end music. Not all-over, but there's a couple really standout tracks.

It's a drat loving shame that some of them seem so cut off. Seriously, Approaching Death cuts off right as the guitar seems to be kicking into a sweet-rear end solo. Give me two more minutes of that poo poo!

Artix
Apr 26, 2010

He's finally back,
to kick some tail!
And this time,
he's goin' to jail!

TheMcD posted:

There's a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, and that's because the system is often (like in this case) used to decide between two options. Setting both to max is essentially giving the game ":shrug:" as an answer, and while I cannot confirm this, I believe that it takes that to mean "let's pick the option that brings the player closer to death".

With regards to the former, giving the game a :shrug: generally only works on blue dialogue bits, and even then it usually just pisses the other person/people off for being indecisive. In yellow branches it usually kicks you into a "I don't know what to do!" red branch (where doing it again will kill you), and in red branches it usually just kills you outright. So yeah, "pick the option that brings you closer to death" is a good way of describing it.

asymmetrical
Jan 29, 2009

the absence or violation of symmetry

tiistai posted:

Kasasagi low
Moribe top


Just leave it to the professional and not the amnesiac who had a seemingly literally splitting headache a while ago. I know curly braces disagrees and the girls might not have a great opinion of us but it just doesn't seem wise.

It doesn't help that Yuuri seemed outright scared seeing our face.
Solid logic, going with this.

Logicblade
Aug 13, 2014

Festival with your real* little sister!
Will you be stopping for every single choice point, or just the Caution and Danger ones?

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!

TheMcD posted:

There's a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, and that's because the system is often (like in this case) used to decide between two options. Setting both to max is essentially giving the game ":shrug:" as an answer, and while I cannot confirm this, I believe that it takes that to mean "let's pick the option that brings the player closer to death".

Sorry, I guess I'm used to games where the only way to get the true ending is to max relationships with everyone.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Logicblade posted:

Will you be stopping for every single choice point, or just the Caution and Danger ones?

Just Caution and Danger, and if a wrong choice in a Caution one leads directly into a Danger one, I will deliberately not give you a second chance to un-gently caress yourselves and head straight for the bad end.

IceBorg
Oct 23, 2012

I KINDA DOUBT THAT!

TheMcD posted:

There's a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, and that's because the system is often (like in this case) used to decide between two options. Setting both to max is essentially giving the game ":shrug:" as an answer, and while I cannot confirm this, I believe that it takes that to mean "let's pick the option that brings the player closer to death".

I will assume then that it's same thing to putting everyone at minimun like I voted right? When I said that I was hoping for a "I don't trust you and trust myself to save her so heh let's leave her here" because that would be kinda funny in dark way.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
I figure I won't try to worry about making non-terrible decisions until we've died at least once.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

IceBorg posted:

I will assume then that it's same thing to putting everyone at minimun like I voted right? When I said that I was hoping for a "I don't trust you and trust myself to save her so heh let's leave her here" because that would be kinda funny in dark way.

Yeah, I actually just went and checked, and putting both at minimum gives the same result as putting both at middle and both at maximum.

But I went and changed the vote system anyway, because opting to use numbers anyway actually makes it a lot nicer (and because there was a four-way-tie when I decided to record the footage).

Basically, I just substituted the words for the number that that position is on the slider, which I decided goes from 0 to 8 (I could have picked 1 and 9 too, but bleh), and then ran the average. And this is what came out:

code:
Top = 8
High = 6
(Middle = 4)
Low = 2
Bottom = 0

Watase Top, Jun Bottom:    II
Watase Top, Jun Top:       II
Watase Low, Jun High:      II
Watase Low, Jun Top:       II
Watase Bottom, Jun Bottom: I

Watase:

Top:    II
High:
Low:    IIII
Bottom: I

Average: 3.42 = 3

Jun:

Top:    IIII
High:   II
Low:
Bottom: III

Average: 6.28 = 6
So overall, you trust Jun a lot more than Watase, and I figure that should be reflected in the results.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

First Impression: 09/16/2030, 09:18



♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 3

The man screamed this and was about to rush into the flames- but was interrupted by someone grabbing him by the collar.



But if we don't do something quick, that girl will--
I'll take care of it!

Once he heard her say this, the man--



Well, what did the man do? The people have spoken, and they said this:

code:
Watase Top, Jun Bottom:    II
Watase Top, Jun Top:       II
Watase Low, Jun High:      II
Watase Low, Jun Top:       II
Watase Bottom, Jun Bottom: I
That doesn't really help. So instead, I'm going to assign the numbers that the positions are on the slider to the votes and run averages. The result of that is:

code:
Top = 8
High = 6
(Middle = 4)
Low = 2
Bottom = 0

Watase:

Top:    II
High:
Low:    IIII
Bottom: I

Average: 3.42 = 3

Jun:

Top:    IIII
High:   II
Low:
Bottom: III

Average: 6.28 = 6
That really is a much nicer result.




...Got it, I'm counting on you!

Gave that answer instinctively. He felt more at ease leaving it up to her.

Alrighty, leave this to me!

The female rescue worker quickly brushed the man aside, dashing into the room.

Lieutenant, back me up with the hose!



You might notice that the text box is now fully opaque. That is because I'm now using OCR software to save my fingers some... a lot... A WHOLE loving LOT of typing. So far, in limited tests, it's done almost perfectly. I love it.



The lieutenant pointed the hose upwards. The jetstream shattered apart when it hit the ceiling, scattering into a spray.



In this little bit, Moribe moves from the left side of the screen to the right in pretty much under a second. It was kinda hard even getting a shot.

The female rescue worker then ran into the room, as if clad in that water.

(What an amazing technique--!)

It was perfect teamwork. The female rescue worker then ran up to the girl through the mist and steam--



Aw yeah! Survivor secured!

Tips posted:

TIP: Survivor
Category: Nonfiction

People found alive and in need of rescue during an incident who cannot by their own power evacuate from the danger that threatens to kill or otherwise harm them. Those involved in rescue efforts, be they firefighters, rescue workers, or other individuals, are trained to treat survivors like family. But on the scene, these workers must leave their real family behind. So in that regard, survivors are temporarily more important than family.

And shouted triumphantly. That dramatic rescue had happened in the blink of an eye.





♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 2

Don't worry miss, you're safe now.
Are you hurt?



The man stood a short distance away, observing them.

...

In the end, he'd been completely useless-- both at putting out the fires and at saving her. So he figured the least he could do was talk to her.

Umm... er, well, I'm glad you're okay.
!?

Another frightened look engulfed the girl's face at that moment.

...? Did you do something, Captain?
Huh? No, nothing, honest...
Try not to scare her, okay? Your face is already scary enough as it is.
Oh, uh... sorry. Guess I gave you a little shock there.

You know, call me suspicious, but I think that's not the issue at hand here.

But you can take it easy now. We're on your side. We came here to save you. Probably.

The girl's body shook with a start upon hearing that.

Captain! Why would you ever say something like that?
Yeah, you've been acting weird ever since you woke up. Not knowing what‘s going on is one thing, but you've been no help at all either.
S-sorry...

After giving a brief apology, the man fired off another question.

By the way, can I ask you guys a question? You've been calling me 'Captain'... so does that mean I'm the captain of a rescue squad or something?
Huh? The heck you talking about?
What... do you mean by that?

The man thought hard once he heard their surprised answers. But as he'd feared, he couldn't locate any information about himself in his head.

Well, the thing is... I don't know anything. Not who I am, or even where I am...
Huh!?

The women's faces twitched at that proclamation.

Y-you don't mean...
You've got amnesia...?



The man mulled over that word.

(So that's what it is...?)

But for some illogical reason, the answer no, that's not it suddenly popped into his head.

(It's more like... my mind's denying me the right to think about who I am...)

It was a strange feeling. But since it didn't look like he could explain what'd happened to him very well, he reluctantly decided to go with their suggestion.

Y-yeah... I guess you -would- call this amnesia...
C-c'mon Captain, quit pulling our legs!
No, I really wish I -was- joking...!
Wait... you mean you're totally serious!?
P-please hold on a moment, Captain! Did you hurt your head by any chance!?
My head...? Now that you mention it, I did have this really bad headache a few minutes ago...
I knew it...! There's a possibility that you hit your head on something. That's probably why you're feeling so dazed and having trouble remembering things. Then that means your memories should return in time.
I-is that how it works?
Yes. It appears that retrograde amnesia caused by physical trauma goes away fairly quickly on its own without requiring any particular treatment in most cases.

Tips posted:

TIP: Retrograde Amnesia
Category: Includes fiction

A memory defect caused by the disturbance of consciousness due to injury or illness, preventing one from recalling events prior to the disturbance. There are three processes of memory. The addition of information into the brain is called ''encoding''. The retention of memory is called ''storage''. Finally, the retrieval of that information is called ''recall''. The loss of the ability to recall information is called a ''memory lapse'', which can for example be caused by disorders in storage and recall.

Memories stored in the human mind can either be episodic memories which relate to oneself as an individual, or procedural memories which relate to skills and processes (the so-called muscle memory). Watase appears to have lost not only his episodic memory, but some of his procedural memory as well. In contrast to retrograde amnesia, there is also anterograde amnesia, which is the loss of the ability to remember new events that happen alter the onset of amnesia, or in other words, a disorder of encoding.

The lieutenant calmly explained that as she threw around a few technical terms here and there.

...Then you're saying this is only temporary?
Yes. But if you suffered brain damage by any chance, it's possible that your amnesia could be permanent. And I believe there have been a few cases where death occurs if the brain damage is left untreated.
...!

The man felt a shudder run through him at those words.

What the hell? That's horrible...! Captain, how bad is your headache? Do you feel like throwing up?
No... my head doesn't hurt at all right now, and my stomach feels fine.
Th-then I guess he's in the clear?
No, we can't be sure of that just yet. If you'll please bear with me for a moment, Captain.

The woman grabbed the man by the arm, rolled up his sleeve, and looked at his wrist. He hadn't noticed it until that moment, but he had some kind of wristband-like object wrapped around it.

What's this?



Tips posted:

TIP: Vital Checker
Category: Fiction

A piece of medical equipment in the shape of a wristband that allows for the automatic inspection of the wearer's health. The device measures four of the wearer's vital signs (pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, body temperature) and calculates a comprehensive fifth signal based off those four. The device is not distributed to the general public, but only to emergency teams and rescue workers who frequently race against time. The inspection is strictly for first aid purposes only, so follow up treatment at a hospital is preferable.

A closer look revealed there were several numerical readings and five green lights on the device.

--Status all green. No issues with your pulse, blood pressure, or anything else... you're completely healthy.
Then it looks like we don't have to worry about him dropping dead or anything like that for now, right...?
But we can't be optimistic about that without an expert's opinion. Please get yourself a proper examination and treatment later.

The female rescue worker's eyes widened as soon as she heard the lieutenant's reply.

...Oh crap! Almost forgot! Lieutenant, we need to give this girl some 'AD' fast!

The lieutenant's face froze at those words.

Oh no! How could I have been so careless...!?

The lieutenant wasted no time in taking something out of her pocket.





Please hold out your arm.
N-no... I don't want that shot...
You can't be like that! You'll be in grave danger without it!

The girl turned around and tried to run, but the lieutenant grabbed her before she could. She then rolled up the girl's sleeve without giving her a chance to speak and pushed the tip of the ampule into the girl, injecting her with its contents.

Aah...!

The girl's eyes widened and her body trembled. Feeling rather unnerved by her reaction, the man spoke up.

... What's that drug?

Hey there, just letting you know I'm still here. Right now, the game is doing a lot of speaking for itself, so I'm just hanging back for the moment.

It's called AD. Put in simple terms-- It's an 'anti-radiation' drug.

The man felt an ominous echo in those words.

Did you say an anti-radiation drug...?
Yes. It was given to us by members of this facility's staff for this mission. We can't survive in here unless we keep injecting ourselves with this. Because--

The lieutenant surveyed her surroundings, then continued in a bitter voice.

--Because this facility is currently contaminated from top to bottom in radiation.
What!?

The bad feeling he'd gotten earlier only intensified with that statement.

H-hold on a sec... 'Radiation'? 'Contaminated'? What are you talking about!? What the hell kind of facility is this place!?

The lieutenant took a good hard look at the bewildered man-- and followed up with a clear answer.

A nuclear energy research facility equipped with a small-scale nuclear reactor used for research purposes. And nearly two hours ago, that very same reactor-- went through a 'meltdown'.

Tips posted:

TIP: Meltdown
Category: Nonfiction

Also known as a nuclear reactor core meltdown. Refers to when nuclear fuel melts into the base of its pressure vessel container due to errors like cooling system failure. Unless handled promptly, the radioactive material is at risk of spreading outside, causing an extremely serious nuclear disaster. A worse situation is a melt-through, when the nuclear fuel penetrates beyond the pressure vessel container and through subsequent barriers. Even worse is a melt-out, where the nuclear fuel breaks through the entire reactor and leaks into the ground. Furthermore, meltdowns are not limited to just the nuclear reactor core. Pools of spent fuel also hide the risk of a meltdown if not properly cooled.

You know, it's good the game is explaining all this poo poo for me.

Even though it was supposedly his first time hearing that word, it still managed to send shivers down the man's spine.

A-a meltdown...!?
Simply put, it refers to when something causes a nuclear reactor to melt, resulting in the nuclear fuel inside leaking out. It is an extremely serious accident that is frequently accompanied by explosions and fires-- and it also spreads 'radiation' that has harsh negative effects on the human body. The entire facility is currently contaminated with such radiation.

Tips posted:

TIP: Radiation
Category: Nonfiction

A general term referring to alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, neutron rays, and other particle beams and electromagnetic waves. Radioactive materials have unstable structures and thus decay over time. Radiation is the emission of energy or particles after such decay. Examples of radiation include alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, and neutron rays, each with their own degrees of penetrating power and effects on the human body. In terms of penetrating power, gamma > neutron > beta > alpha.

Alpha rays can be stopped with a thin sheet of paper, thus there is no need to fear alpha radiation exposure as long as it is not internal. In contrast, beta rays are stopped by things such as aluminum; Neutron rays by water, boron, and carbon; Gamma rays require steel or lead... And thus the difficulty of radiation shielding varies greatly between these types. In terms of harm to human bodies, alpha > neutron > beta > gamma.

Neutron rays rank highly dangerous in both categories. The neutron bomb uses neutron radiation, which is why sci-fi writers often prefix the names of fictional weapons with the word ''neutron''. Radioactive material decays at a fixed probability over a given length of time. Thus, the time it takes for a particular proportion of a given material to decay is approximately constant. The length of time it takes for half of a material to decay is called the material's half-life. Half of a radioactive material decaying means the material's danger to humans has been reduced to a half. Thus, the half-life of a radioactive material is one criterion in deciding how to handle it.

For example, Iodine-131 (I-131) has a half-life of approximately 8 days. Cesium-137 (Cs-137) has a half-life of approximately 30 years. Some nuclides don't reach their half-life for thousands or millions of years. Also, it's incorrect to assume that since half of Iodine-131 decays in 8 days that all of it decays in 16 days. At 8 days, you have 1/2, at 16 days, you have 1/4, at 24 days, you have 1/8, and so on... The decay is exponential and thus it takes an extraordinary amount of time for the emission of radiation to stop completely. Whenever unnatural radioactive materials are involved, it is wise to measure radiation dosages and plan appropriately for radiation exposure.

Did somebody want science? I think I heard somebody wanting science.

That can't be! You say this place is contaminated, but it doesn't look that way at all...!
Radiation is odorless and invisible to the naked eye. But it's definitely there, eating away at our bodies.

The lieutenant then took some sort of device out of her pocket.



Tips posted:

TIP: Radiation measuring instrument
Category: Nonfiction

Since human senses cannot detect radiation, we need to use dedicated radiation measuring instruments to properly plan for safe precautions in radioactive environments. Such handheld devices are called survey meters, and are generally known as Geiger counters. However, Geiger counter is not the general term for these devices, but rather refers specifically to those that use Geiger-Muller (G-M) tubes. Aside from G-M tubes, other survey meters use scintillators or ionization chambers.

As the name suggests, the Geiger counter counts the number of radiation events. However, since it only counts the number, and not the strength of the events, it cannot measure the amount of radiation energy, and tends to overestimate actual radiation dosage (to account for measurement error). The Geiger counter is relatively cheap and aimed at personal ownership.

A scintillation counter measures radiation energy based on the pulses of visible light released by a scintillator in response to radiation. An ionization chamber survey meter calculates radiation dosage by the amount of ions generated from radiation passing through a hermetically sealed containers of gas. Nuclear power facilities and monitoring posts at every prefecture measure radiation dosage periodically, even outside of crises. Almost all such facilities use scintillation or ionization chamber measuring instruments.

Tips posted:

TIP: mSv (millisievert)
Category: Nonfiction

There are three indispensable units when dealing with radiation exposure: Bq (becquerels), Gy (grays), Sv (sieverts). The Bq measures the amount of radiation a radioactive material releases in one second. The Gy measures how much radiation energy a particular object absorbs per kilogram when exposed to radiation. The Sv and the Gy are both units that describe radiation absorption, but whereas the Gy measures absorbed dose, the Sv measures equivalent dose, which accounts for how much harm the radiation harms a human body. Sv measurements are typically given in μSv (microsieverts). mSv (millisieverts) and Sv (Sieverts) are rarely used. In the same way that body heights are typically given in cm and body weights in kg, the need to use mSv or Sv instead of μSv says something of the abnormality of the situation. You wouldn't expect someone to be 100 m tall or weigh 2000 kg. mSv/h (millisieverts per hour) denotes radiation dose over the span of an hour.

Holy poo poo, it's like physics classes all over again. But yeah, I'm really impressed that they actually go into detail explaining all this poo poo for everybody that doesn't quite know so much about radiation and that kind of poo poo.

This is approximately over 20 million times more radiation than what exists in nature.
20 million...!?
Even under normal circumstances, there are faint levels of radiation in space and on the earth's surface, but the dosage is so low that it has almost no effect on the human body. But when in a situation where you're exposed to such abnormally strong levels of radiation like the 1108 mSv surrounding us, it's known as 'radiation exposure'-- Which causes severely negative effects on the human body.

Tips posted:

TIP: Radiation exposure
Category: Nonfiction

Refers to exposure of the human body to radiation. One basic classification of radiation exposure is external or internal. External exposure occurs if the radiation is emitted from an outside source while internal exposure occurs with the inhalation or ingestion of radioactive material. The human body is unaffected by small doses of radiation, but large doses have negative effects. In the case of systemic radiation exposure, the effects are said to be as follows:

Systemic symptoms:
10000 mSv...100 percent death rate
4000 mSv... 50 percent death rate within 60 days
3000 mSv... disturbance of consciousness
1000 mSv... nausea, fatigue
500 mSv... temporary reduction in white blood cell count
<200~250 msV... no symptoms
2.4 mSv... natural radiation dosage (global average)
note: 1000 μSv = 1 mSv = 0.001 Sv

Radiation damage is said to cause cancer, leukemia, cataracts, and infertility, but due to the impossibility of running radiation clinical trials with informed consent, much about radiation damage is unclear. Radiation can damage DNA, but cells are capable of automatic DNA repair, thus the general opinion of scientists today is that unless the dosage of radiation is high and happens all at once, the risks of DNA damage can be suppressed. It is important to both know the risks of radiation damage and to proceed with appropriate caution.

This includes skin inflammation, nausea, organ failure, brain cell damage, vision impairment, neurological disorders, genetic disorders, and cancer.
...!

The lieutenant's matter-of-fact explanation caused all the hair on the man's body to stick up on their ends in fear.

--These health problems can occur when you're exposed to 100 mSv and above. Meaning that the levels we are being exposed to right now are particularly strong. This environment is so deadly that we normally wouldn't be able to take even a single step in here. And though some areas in this facility have less radiation than others, it's completely impossible to avoid exposure, no matter where you are.
W-we can't get away from it...!? Are you making GBS threads me!? How the hell can you be so calm at a time like this!?
Please wait! Please remain quiet until I've finished explaining!

The man instantly shut up at the lieutenant's firm voice. She gestured to the empty ampule in her hand and continued.

But this AD drug offers almost 100% protection against the effects of radiation exposure-- granted that you're in an area with lower radiation levels, that is.

Tips posted:

TIP: Radiation inhibitor drug
Category: Fiction

Alone Desire, or AD for short. An anti-radiation exposure drug developed by the pharmaceutical company Betelgeuse New Treatments and packaged in ampules. It contains medical nanomachines which, when administered, neutralize and expel up to 4000 mSv/h of radiation, protecting the user from internal and external exposure. The effect lasts approximately 60 minutes.

The drug was approved in 2021, but still has not been distributed to the general public. However, starting with LABO in Rokumei City, nuclear power research institutes are allowed to use it experimentally. Nuclear power may indeed be useful, but the bottleneck in its implementation is definitely the fear of radiation exposure. If only nuclear fission could be used to its fullest extent without fear of radiation...

Up until now, that thought had not been a reality, but merely a desire alone-- hence the name Alone Desire-- However, AD is slowly making that desire a reality. Dispelling the fear of accumulated radiation exposure also ties to the training of veteran nuclear engineers (through increased safety nets). Thus, much is expected from this drug in the future.

100%!?
This is no ordinary drug. It contains medical nanomachines that detoxify and expel the radiation received by the human body. That said, it's only effective for a mere 60 minutes, and we don't have a lot of it either.





Well, what did the man do?

VOTING

Alright, this time around, it's a bit simpler. I've now decided that the averages system will be what will be used for tallying votes - especially since we need a bit of a general opinion towards a character for the blue segments, which I won't do voting on.

So, are you buying what Tachibana's selling? Yuuri didn't, and she seems to know something. Then again, we bought what Moribe was selling, and that worked out fine. Hm, decisions, decisions...

Please vote for one of Bottom, Low, High, Top for Kazami Tachibana. How much do you trust her?

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Sidenote: After recording footage and turning it into an AVI I could take lossless screenshots off of, the time from starting to write the update to posting took pretty much 1 hour and 40 minutes. All hail our OCR overlords.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Bottom

I maintain my firm position of trusting nothing and nobody save for our own abilities.

Logicblade
Aug 13, 2014

Festival with your real* little sister!
She seems pretty calm and composed, like she knows what's going on. Let's not trust her.

Bottom

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!

Logicblade posted:

She seems pretty calm and composed, like she knows what's going on. Let's not trust her.

Bottom
She seems pretty calm and composed, like she knows what's going on. Let's trust her.

Top

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Top and I don't have to justify myself to you people :colbert:

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica
Seems legit, top

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IceBorg
Oct 23, 2012

I KINDA DOUBT THAT!
Let me guess that if we decided to save the silver-haired girl ourselfs two things might havehappened: one we would burn to death because we aren't trained firefighters no more or two we would get to her and since it looks like she's scared of us she would push us away to the fire and then we would burn to death.


Also amost sure this choice is another that will lead to a death because if we don't trust her we will just not take the shot after 60 minutes have passed and will die.....I kinda want to see a bad ending in this so....

Bottom it is!

Also a question because I might have understood it wrong when you explained it, but is there a diference between like having a character in the botton to having it on low in the sense thing? Or are they basically the same thing when you are deciding if you trust a character?

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